swordsmans

Swordsmans, or swordsmen, are practitioners of swordsmanship, the art or technique of wielding a sword. The term describes individuals who train to use various swords with skill, discipline, and control, across different cultures and historical periods.

Historically, swordsmanship has appeared in many civilizations. In Europe, swordsmen trained in arming swords, longswords, and later sabres, emphasizing guards, cuts, and parries. In East Asia, practices such as kenjutsu, jian and dao arts, and later kendo or iaido shaped distinct schools of technique and philosophy. In the Middle East and Central Asia, cavalry combat often centered on sabres and shamshirs. Across periods, training combined forms, drills, sparring, and conditioning, with emphasis on footwork, timing, and distance.

In modern times, swordsmanship persists both as sport and as historical study. Modern fencing uses foil, epee, and sabre, governed by rules and protective equipment. Historical European martial arts, or HEMA, explore legacy manuals and reconstructive combat methods. Other traditions include kendo, iaido, and various wushu or jianfa practices. Swordsmen may participate in competition, recreation, or the preservation of historical techniques, and they frequently appear in literature and media as exemplars of discipline and skill.

Notable figures associated with swordsmanship range across cultures, including historical masters such as Miyamoto Musashi, a celebrated Japanese swordsman known for strategy and dueling records, and various treatise authors and school founders who shaped regional techniques and curricula.